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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — in sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cap — a lid
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — of ice
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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