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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — completely
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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