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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. file — a document
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — of the year
  13. field — for sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. field — a subject
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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