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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — ground
  5. firm — decided
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. land — a country
  17. firm — steady
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — to wash
  20. firm — a company
  21. land — to come down
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — to sink
  24. shower — rain

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