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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.

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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: mark · lean · ball · hide · file · squash · bore · last

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — to go on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — final
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — finally
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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