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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lie — to recline
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. kick — in football
  24. pass — a permit

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