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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. kid — child
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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