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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · lie · mine · file · season · nail · spell · ball

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — letters
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. season — in sport
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stand — for spectators

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