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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wave — with your hand

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