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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: hide · nail · saw · rest · rash · bat · club · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rest — a break
  3. present — there
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. club — a group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — hasty

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