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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. chest — a box
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. rule — government
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chest — of your body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — in football
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rule — a law
  24. spell — letters

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