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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mark — a grade
  10. net — for catching
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — in sport

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