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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — for sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. racket — for tennis
  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