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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · club · squash · pit · arm · present · sharp · mug

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. club — for golf
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pit — a hole
  8. club — for dancing
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — the animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — a cup
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — a group
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. sharp — clever
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mug — a face
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — there

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