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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chest — a box
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — a flat piece

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