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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — humankind
  5. staff — employees
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — the arms race
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — a contest
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. chest — a box
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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