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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — to go on
  6. content — happy
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — the amount
  10. shower — to wash
  11. last — finally
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mark — a grade
  19. swing — music
  20. last — final
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a trace

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