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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: game · band · stick · bay · present · file · bowl · rash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. file — a tool
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rash — hasty
  10. band — a ring
  11. game — wild animals
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. file — a document
  15. band — a music group
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. rash — a series
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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