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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — a price
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mug — a face
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — a container
  10. mug — a cup
  11. charge — electricity
  12. scale — in music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. charge — in control
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — the underground

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