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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: file · fine · club · foot · pit · saw · bat · perch

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. club — for dancing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. club — a group
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pit — in a race
  15. file — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a document
  23. club — for golf
  24. perch — the fish

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