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

Word bank: wake · present · rock · bound · bat · file · snap · pit

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. file — a document
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — the time now
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bound — obliged
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pit — a hole
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — music
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. present — there
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  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