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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — help
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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