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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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