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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — of water
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. current — electric
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — happening now
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. spring — the season
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stand — to bear

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