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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — in football
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. court — for sport
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — music
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — a tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — to visit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — a thrill

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