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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — to bear
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a match
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. perch — for a bird

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