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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bass — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mine — belonging to me

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