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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — music
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. march — the month

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