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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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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: season · suit · wake · bat · deal · net · stem · file

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. net — in sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — for catching
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — of the year
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. suit — in cards
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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