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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — in football
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — letters
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. file — a tool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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