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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stand — to bear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. suit — clothes
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — all right
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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