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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: file · swing · hand · stick · mouse · pit · ball · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. swing — music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — help

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