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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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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: nail · mark · lash · sharp · court · lean · date · shower

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — thin
  4. shower — rain
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — to wash
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — for sport
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — on the calendar

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