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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — a signal
  24. nail — on a finger

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