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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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 — on a finger
  2. face — to confront
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — to point toward
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a face
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. saw — the tool
  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