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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: stand · bank · racket · rest · bat · cap · last · file

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rest — a break
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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