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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · mate · present · file · kid · rest

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a document
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — a partner
  7. present — there
  8. file — a tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — a gift
  13. file — a line of people
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — the time now

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