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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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468
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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. present — a gift
  4. spell — letters
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — in football
  10. present — the time now
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. degree — from a university
  13. present — there
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. degree — an amount
  24. march — the month

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