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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. rash — hasty
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — a container
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  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