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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cue — for pool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — music
  16. march — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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