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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mark — a trace
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bass — low music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a list

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