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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — a weight
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rule — government
  14. sharp — clever
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rule — a law
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — a subject
  24. pound — to hit hard

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