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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: fall · bat · lash · ball · deal · present · racket · wave

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — the season
  7. present — a gift
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. present — there
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. present — the time now
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ball — a round shape

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