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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cell — a phone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. plane — a tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mug — a face
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. plane — in geometry

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