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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to click
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — in biology
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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