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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: fall · file · current · bowl · pit · ground · bat · mug

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mug — to rob
  19. current — electric
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. current — happening now
  24. bowl — a football final

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