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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: mark · bass · cap · bat · snap · racket · foot · spell

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — letters
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to click
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spell — magic
  18. foot — a measure
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mark — a grade
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mark — a trace

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