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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — farmland
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — to protest
  9. shower — rain
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. object — an aim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — a thing
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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