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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pop — music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — to visit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. drill — army training
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pop — soda
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — to rob

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