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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: bat · mine · fine · saw · hide · chip · stick · lie

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fine — all right
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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