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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spring — the season
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — child
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kid — to tease
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lie — to recline

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