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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — a publisher
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — for light
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bat — for baseball

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