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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. degree — temperature
  9. foot — a measure
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. saw — the tool
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — high quality
  24. degree — an amount

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