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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. can — a tin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ground — crushed
  17. dip — to sink
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. toast — bread
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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