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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mug — a face
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — a series
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — rain
  24. racket — for tennis

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