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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for golf
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — a group
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — humankind
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — for baseball

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