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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. bank — for money
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. degree — an amount
  12. craft — a skill
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. craft — boats
  21. bank — of a river
  22. file — a line of people
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the animal

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