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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hand — help
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — a list
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — a contest
  16. drill — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — happy
  21. race — humankind
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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