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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 116 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a music group
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. staff — employees
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. band — a rubber band

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