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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — to tire
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. club — a group
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. arm — part of the body
  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