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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bank — for money
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. ground — a position

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