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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a line of people
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. file — a document
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — letters
  16. mug — a cup
  17. roll — a list
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mug — a face
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spell — magic
  22. tube — a container
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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