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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. staff — a stick
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hand — help
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. shower — to wash

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