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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — a break
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. suit — to fit
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. suit — clothes

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