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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: bat · mug · file · field · capital · content · mouse · kick

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kick — in football
  4. file — a document
  5. mug — to rob
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — money
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — happy
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — a city

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