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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — steady
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. shower — rain
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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