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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bound — certain
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — ground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. land — to come down
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a song
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bowl — to roll

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