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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. roll — a list
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. roll — a cake
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stock — goods
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — shares
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. lash — to lash out

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