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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. swing — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — a tin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — rain
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. swing — to play on
  20. snap — to click
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. can — a tin

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