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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — a measure
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lean — thin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. game — wild animals
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. file — a tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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