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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a document
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a line of people

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