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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. firm — decided
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — low music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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