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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. rest — a break
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. track — a path
  8. cue — for pool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a music group
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a ring

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