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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. date — the fruit
  11. march — music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — size or range
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — in music
  24. snap — to click

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