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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — a group
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. club — for golf
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pound — a weight
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stem — of a plant

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