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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · nail · bowl · cold · bore · clip · stand · fan

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cold — not warm
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — to roll

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