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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.

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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: nail · mouse · stick · land · cell · fall · ground · bat

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — a country
  19. ground — crushed
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in a prison

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