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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — the season
  12. board — a committee
  13. scale — in music
  14. board — to get on
  15. mug — to rob
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — of water
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mug — a face
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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