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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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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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