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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. race — a contest
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. date — the fruit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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