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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · season · bat · date · foot · fall · bass · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bass — low music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bass — the instrument

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