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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hand — help
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to click
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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