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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fork — in a road
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rash — a series
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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