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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. track — a song
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. track — a path
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — low music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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