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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. row — a line
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cap — a hat
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. charge — in control
  24. stand — on your feet

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