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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 116 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 · tear · rush · game · ball · object · lie · rash

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a document
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a match
  14. tear — to rip
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — a series
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ball — a great time

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