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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bound — obliged
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — a hint
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. field — for sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — a subject
  24. cue — a signal

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