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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — to bear
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. mouse — the animal

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