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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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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: ball · march · foot · chip · file · calf · roll · plane

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a document
  4. roll — a list
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chip — to eat
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. foot — a measure
  16. roll — a cake
  17. march — music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. plane — a tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. file — a tool
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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