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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. swing — to play on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — a match
  8. file — a tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. swing — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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