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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hand — in cards
  6. band — a music group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — help
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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