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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — a coil
  3. file — a document
  4. object — a thing
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spring — the season
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — of water
  9. bat — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. object — to protest
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. object — an aim
  24. cue — a signal

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