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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for golf
  4. bat — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — part of the head
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. sharp — clever
  20. roll — a cake
  21. club — a group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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