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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: bank · season · bat · nail · game · march · stand · file

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a match
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. march — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — wild animals
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — to bear
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — the month

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