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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — help
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bat — the animal
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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