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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.

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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: nail · swing · straw · kick · snap · bulb · ground · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — in golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — music
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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