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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — a country
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — music

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