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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — all right
  20. dip — to sink
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — the animal

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