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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — a cake

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