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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — a break
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kid — child
  24. hide — animal skin

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