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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: fall · bore · club · pass · bat · mouse · wound · mark

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — the season
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to drill
  20. club — for golf
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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