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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cue — a hint
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — the season
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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