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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mug — to rob
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — a series
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mug — a face
  23. toast — bread
  24. rash — hasty

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