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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — the amount
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stand — to bear
  11. present — the time now
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a document
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. present — a gift
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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