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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rock — a stone
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. face — to point toward
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — a short time
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spell — letters
  24. rock — to move gently

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