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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — music
  7. march — the month
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — in golf
  11. perch — the fish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a city
  14. drill — army training
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. march — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. capital — money
  20. swing — to play on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

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