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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hand — help
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mate — a friend
  15. land — ground
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — a box

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