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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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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to click
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — a break
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — on a finger

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