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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 120 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
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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 · squash · bank · stick · bat · season · cap · can

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cap — a hat
  3. squash — to crush
  4. season — of the year
  5. bank — of a river
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a document
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — of ice

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