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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — rain
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — a match
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. suit — clothes
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. staff — a stick
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — to wash

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