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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cue — for pool
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chest — a box
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hand — help

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