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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — low music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. present — there
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. swing — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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