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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: plane · swing · mug · fine · file · chest · bat · squash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — a cup
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mug — to rob
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — a box
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. squash — to crush
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — high quality

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