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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — to go on
  6. object — an aim
  7. land — ground
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. swing — music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — a country
  17. swing — in golf
  18. object — a thing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — to sit on

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