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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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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. drill — army training
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. file — a line of people
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. season — of the year

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