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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. file — a document
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. board — to get on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. board — a committee
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bat — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — in an idiom

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