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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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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 · saw · bay · cue · roll · pop · file · march

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pop — to visit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. roll — a cake
  12. file — a document
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — a list
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a tool
  24. cue — a hint

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