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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · nail · prune · bat · net · stick · chair · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — for catching
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — after costs

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