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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kick — in football
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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