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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: jam · craft · game · foot · season · bat · file · patient

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a document
  6. season — of the year
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. file — a tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. game — a match
  20. craft — boats
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — in sport
  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