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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. dip — to sink
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kid — child
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. kid — to tease

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