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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: bat · file · mug · saw · tear · kick · craft · racket

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a face
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — to rob
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — boats
  18. tear — to rip
  19. saw — the tool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. kick — in football
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bat — the animal

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