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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · land · sharp · cue · rest · trunk · bat · nail

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. bat — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — a signal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — clever
  21. land — to come down
  22. cue — a hint
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. nail — for a hammer

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