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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — farmland
  12. game — wild animals
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — low music
  15. field — a subject
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. field — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spring — of water
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spring — the season

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