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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fine — high quality
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — to come down
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — all right
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — a stone

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