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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — from crying
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — magic

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