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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. swing — to play on
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. swing — music

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