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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chair — a leader
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rush — hurry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. branch — a division
  22. tube — a container
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. straw — a straw man

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