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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. object — a thing
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. object — to protest
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. object — an aim
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — a sick person

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