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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — a song
  12. lean — thin
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. drill — army training
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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