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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lie — to recline
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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