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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · rush · bat · mouse · chest · leaves · club · rest

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — for golf
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — a group

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