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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chest — a box
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. board — to get on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mate — a partner
  21. board — a committee
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — of your body

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