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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — a face
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rock — music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rash — a series
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mug — a cup
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mug — to rob
  24. hide — to keep secret

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