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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pass — a permit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — to sink
  16. game — a match
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — to crush
  21. foot — a measure
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. saw — the tool

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