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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. scale — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. scale — size or range
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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