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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — of the year
  8. file — a tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. file — a document
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wave — with your hand

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