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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. file — a document
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rash — hasty
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. game — a match
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — a series
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. straw — a straw man

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