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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. club — a group
  6. spring — the season
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — of water
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. perch — the fish

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