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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — part of the head
  7. club — a group
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — magic
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — to confront
  24. nail — for a hammer

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