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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mug — to rob
  3. net — in sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — for catching
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mug — a cup
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a ring
  15. bat — the animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mug — a face
  24. net — after costs

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