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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 124 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. rest — a break
  10. toast — bread
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mark — a grade
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hand — help

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