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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. content — the amount
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. content — happy
  23. board — to get on
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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