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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · game · bat · key · ruler · fan · file · pit

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pop — to visit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — soda
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bat — the animal
  10. key — in music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pop — music
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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