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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a tool
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. file — a document
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. file — a line of people
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ball — a dance

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