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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: snap · saw · ball · nail · wound · bat · capital · stick

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to click
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a city
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — an injury

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