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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — to breed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. file — a line of people
  6. snap — to click
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. file — a document
  10. capital — a city
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mate — a partner
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — money

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