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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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 — for baseball
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. dip — to sink
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  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