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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — ministers

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