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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. club — a group
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — rain
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — an amount
  12. club — for golf
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bound — obliged
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. suit — clothes
  18. degree — from a university
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bound — certain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — an injury

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