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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rest — a break
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — rain
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. march — music

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