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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · stand · nail · bat · face · bowl · mug · hide

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mug — a face
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — help
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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