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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — a list
  6. date — the fruit
  7. snap — to click
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ground — the earth
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — letters
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. swing — in golf

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