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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. last — to go on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — for sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — farmland
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — finally
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cell — a phone

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