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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kick — in football
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. capital — a city
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. capital — money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. row — a line

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