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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. band — a music group
  3. suit — to fit
  4. band — a ring
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — high quality
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. suit — clothes
  20. file — a document
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. press — to push
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a line of people

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