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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 116 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a hat
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — a lid
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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