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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bore — to tire
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — to drill

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