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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: file · deal · saw · club · hand · bowl · last · mark

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. club — a group
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — for dancing
  16. last — final
  17. file — a document
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — a trace

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