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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: kid · leaves · lie · net · bat · nail · game · mark

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — in sport
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a grade
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. net — for catching
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a trace

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