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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. court — for sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mug — a face
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — in sport

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