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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. band — a music group
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. present — the time now
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. present — there
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a ring
  16. spring — the season
  17. lean — thin
  18. net — for catching
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cue — a hint
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. present — a gift

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