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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — to go on
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kick — in football
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — happening now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bank — of a river
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. last — final
  19. current — of water
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bank — for money
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a dance
  24. current — electric

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