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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: can · nail · fall · hand · kid · bat · saw · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fall — the season
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. can — a tin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. can — to be able to

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