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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cue — a hint
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cue — a signal
  8. spring — of water
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spring — the season
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pit — in a race
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — the animal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — a loud noise

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