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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. march — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ground — the earth
  24. nail — on a finger

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