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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — for sport
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pass — a permit
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. field — a subject
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. field — farmland
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pass — to succeed

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