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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bat — the animal

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