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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. face — to point toward
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — to confront
  21. craft — a skill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mine — an explosive

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