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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — a friend
  24. foot — part of the body

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