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

Word bank: straw · hide · pit · cell · squash · bat · cue · net

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — for catching
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — after costs
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cue — for pool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — in biology
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hide — animal skin

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