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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 meat?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cue — a hint
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cue — for pool

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