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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. tear — to rip
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — electric
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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