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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. track — to keep track
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. track — a path

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