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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. swing — music
  17. club — a group
  18. roll — a list
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — for golf
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cap — of ice

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