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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — steady
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. firm — decided
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. firm — a company
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fan — a supporter

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