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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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