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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mug — a face
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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