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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — in football
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — completely
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kick — a thrill

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