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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. swing — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — in football
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — to visit

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