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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. swing — music
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. club — for golf
  9. hand — help
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mug — a face
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mug — to rob
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. last — to go on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — finally

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