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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to sink
  5. game — a match
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to click
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bat — the animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ball — a great time
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bay — a horse colour

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