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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. scale — size or range
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — in music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — for weighing

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