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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lean — thin
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chip — to eat
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. chip — for betting

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