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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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