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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: mouse · roll · chest · bat · capital · pitcher · stand · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. file — a tool
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. roll — a list
  11. chest — a box
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — for a computer

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