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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rash — a series
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. march — music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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