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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pit — a hole
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — in a race
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. club — for dancing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — a group
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — for golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — a kind of play

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