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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — money
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitch — completely
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a city
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — to bend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — final

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