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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — to go on
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a face
  8. suit — in cards
  9. last — final
  10. suit — clothes
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. suit — to fit
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. drill — army training
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cell — in biology
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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