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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a music group
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — in cards
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — help
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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