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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · rule · ground · march · ball · mug · cap · saw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — to rob
  9. file — a document
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — a position
  12. ball — a dance
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. mug — a face
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a line of people
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rule — a law
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com