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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — high quality
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — all right
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wake — a trail
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chest — a box
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — before a funeral

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