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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a line of people
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. race — a contest
  23. file — a document
  24. bat — in an idiom

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