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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — for money
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mug — a face

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