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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fan — a supporter

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