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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — rain
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — of ice
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a leader
  19. shower — to wash
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cap — a hat
  24. nail — on a finger

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