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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — a series
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — hasty
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. court — of a king
  15. cell — in biology
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rash — on the skin
  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