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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. club — for golf
  7. cold — not warm
  8. club — a group
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — happening now
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. current — of water

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