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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mug — a face
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — a group
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — the season
  18. suit — to fit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — a phone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — to rob

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