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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kick — in football
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — to protest
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. object — an aim
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a music group
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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