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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 116 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: hide · bat · pitcher · row · spell · file · bass · pop

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pop — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — to keep secret

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