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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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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fine — high quality
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — to play on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. swing — in golf
  15. shower — rain
  16. drill — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bulb — of a plant

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