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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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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 · root · fall · pit · ball · file · arm · snap

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ball — a dance
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. root — of a plant
  5. file — a document
  6. root — the cause
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pit — in a race
  15. root — of a word
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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