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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — the amount
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — the season
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — help

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