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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — the season
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bat — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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