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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. ground — crushed
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bulb — for light
  24. jam — in traffic

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