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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hand — help
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. capital — money
  11. land — ground
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — part of the body

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