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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.

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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: present · straw · last · file · saw · dip · bat · season

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. season — in sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. file — a tool
  6. last — final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. present — a gift
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. file — a document
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. present — there
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — the animal

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