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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. firm — decided
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — a path
  7. firm — a company
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — steady
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — soda
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pop — music
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — a song
  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