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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 120 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — army training
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — a practice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — a safe
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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