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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: mouse · bat · hand · date · fall · lie · snap · lean

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to click
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — the season
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lean — thin

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