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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. firm — decided
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — the underground
  11. shower — to wash
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. firm — steady
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — a container
  16. firm — a company
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — finally
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. sharp — clever
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — final

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