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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — help
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wax — in the ear

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