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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. field — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. field — a subject
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. scale — in music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — an eyelash

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