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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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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: last · bat · fan · mouse · suit · rash · sharp · straw

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rash — a series
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — to go on

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