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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — finally
  3. squash — to crush
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — thin
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — to bend
  15. shower — to wash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. squash — the sport
  24. trunk — of a tree

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