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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fine — high quality
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — a tin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — help
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — 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