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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mate — a partner
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. present — there
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pit — in a race
  14. craft — boats
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. present — a gift
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — a trail
  24. craft — a handicraft

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