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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a document
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — a break
  8. game — a match
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bat — the animal

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