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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — magic
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — to wash
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — letters
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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