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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — thin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — rain
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — to tease
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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