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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. capital — a city
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — help
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — money
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a leader
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a great time

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