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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. capital — money
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. shower — rain
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rest — a break

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