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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. toast — bread
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. field — a subject
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — happening now
  16. rest — a break
  17. wake — a trail
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a hat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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