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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. club — for dancing
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for golf
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lash — an eyelash

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