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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mug — a face
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bat — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — a cup
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — to paddle
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pop — music

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