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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — for catching
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. net — after costs
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. net — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. bowl — to roll

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