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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — a face
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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