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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. snap — to click
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. track — a song
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. last — to go on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — finally
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. track — to keep track
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — a break
  18. track — a path
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — in an idiom

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