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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. spell — letters
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — a stick
  19. deal — to handle
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — a short time

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