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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — in football
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. club — for golf
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spring — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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