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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spring — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee

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