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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lean — thin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — final
  8. shower — to wash
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lean — to bend
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kick — in football
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. shower — rain

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