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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. rock — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cold — an illness
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — a permit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — to wash

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