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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: saw · season · kick · kid · hide · straw · bat · nail

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kick — in football
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. kid — child
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — of the year
  24. hide — to keep secret

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