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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. snap — to click
  7. rest — what's left
  8. current — electric
  9. court — of a king
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. race — a contest
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. current — of water
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitch — completely
  21. race — humankind
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — the animal

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