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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. present — there
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — help
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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