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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. file — a document
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. present — the time now
  12. swing — in golf
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a line of people
  18. swing — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. fine — all right

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