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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. present — there
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — a gift
  22. fall — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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