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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a signal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a plant
  9. track — a path
  10. root — of a word
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — a song
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cue — for pool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pit — in a race
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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