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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rest — a break
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stock — goods
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stock — shares
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. nail — for a hammer

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