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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — in sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lean — to bend
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — a line
  14. kid — child
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — in control
  19. net — for catching
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. row — a quarrel

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