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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — in a race
  9. capital — a city
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — money
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — a phone

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