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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a path
  7. kick — in football
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. plane — a tool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hand — help
  24. nail — for a hammer

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