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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — to come down
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — clothes
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mug — to rob
  19. suit — in cards
  20. land — ground
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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