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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. firm — decided
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. staff — employees

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