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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. game — a match
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — in football
  13. mate — to breed
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bound — certain
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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