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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — a permit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. file — a document

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