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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. club — for golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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