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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a document
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — to breed
  11. board — a committee
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — a friend
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. board — to get on
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — for baseball

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