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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — a city
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pound — a weight
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — to wash
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. shower — rain

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