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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.

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: tube · bass · bat · staff · game · snap · arm · file

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — the animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bass — the fish
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. file — a document
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — a kind of play

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