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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. roll — a list
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rush — hurry
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rush — a thrill

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