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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lash — an eyelash

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