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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through 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. safe — out of danger
  3. field — for sport
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mark — a grade
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. face — to confront
  14. field — farmland
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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