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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — the season
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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