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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — help
  3. charge — in control
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. charge — a price
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — electricity
  24. nail — on a finger

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