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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — to push
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — newspapers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spell — letters
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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