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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — the season
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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