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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. game — wild animals
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — a stone
  24. game — a match

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