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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to click
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — a trail
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. content — the amount
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. content — happy

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