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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. scale — in music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — employees
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. staff — employees

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