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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. prune — to trim
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bass — low music
  15. board — to get on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bat — the animal
  24. board — a committee

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