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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cue — a hint
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — to come down
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. land — a country
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. land — ground
  23. board — to get on
  24. rash — a series

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