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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lean — thin
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. track — a path
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. capital — a city
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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