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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. sharp — clever
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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