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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.

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: cap · mug · bat · rule · bass · lash · content · file

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mug — a face
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — low music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rule — a law
  22. file — a tool
  23. rule — government
  24. mug — a cup

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