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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. object — to protest
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — a thing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. drill — a practice
  16. object — an aim
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rule — government
  24. prune — to trim

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