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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — a stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — music
  22. bass — low music
  23. cold — not warm
  24. roll — a list

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