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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — the animal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. ground — a position
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mug — a face
  19. cell — a phone
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hand — help
  24. ground — crushed

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