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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rest — a break
  21. cold — not warm
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. racket — for tennis

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