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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. press — to push
  19. vault — a safe
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — a hat
  24. nail — for a hammer

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