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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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 — help
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a ring
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — a match
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. racket — for tennis

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