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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — a hat
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mark — a trace
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rule — government
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rule — a law

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