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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · bowl · ball · sharp · spell · bank · file · scale

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rash — a series
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bank — of a river
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. file — a document

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