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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. kick — in football
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. toast — bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wind — moving air

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