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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a tool
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. file — a document
  17. stand — to bear
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ball — a great time

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