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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — a city
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. capital — money
  18. scale — in music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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