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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: bowl · pit · jam · game · club · bat · foot · file

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — a group
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. club — for golf
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bat — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pit — in a race

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