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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. current — of water
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. face — to confront
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — a loud noise

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