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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — a thing
  11. mark — a grade
  12. scale — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. object — an aim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. object — to protest
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bat — the animal

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