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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — a group
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. object — a thing
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ground — a position
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — for golf
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — an aim

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