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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. present — there
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chip — to eat
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. game — a match
  24. present — a gift

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