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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. field — farmland
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. shower — to wash
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a great time
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. field — a subject
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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