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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · hand · toast · swing · nail · shower · last · mouse

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. last — final
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chair — a leader
  16. toast — bread
  17. swing — to play on
  18. last — finally
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. nail — for a hammer

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