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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — help
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — a series
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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