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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: nail · cabinet · pitcher · leaves · season · arm · file · bat

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a line of people
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a document
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — the animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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