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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kick — in football
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. file — a tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — there
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — in sport
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. deal — an agreement

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