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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rash — hasty
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — the animal
  21. court — of law
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — hurry

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