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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a great time

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