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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: bat · cue · jam · lash · spell · hand · ball · present

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. present — there
  3. cue — for pool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spell — a short time
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. present — the time now
  12. spell — letters
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ball — a great time
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hand — help
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bat — for baseball

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