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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. firm — steady
  7. net — after costs
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. net — in sport
  19. firm — decided
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — music
  24. stand — to bear

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