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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spring — of water
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rule — government
  13. spring — the season
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — a container

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