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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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