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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: scale · mug · file · mate · pound · mine · ball · face

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a great time
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mug — a face
  10. face — to confront
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — in music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. file — a tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. scale — for weighing

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