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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 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. can — a tin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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