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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mug — a cup
  8. root — the cause
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kid — to tease
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mug — a face
  24. racket — a loud noise

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