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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. kid — to tease
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lean — to bend

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