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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mark — a trace
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — to wash
  19. deal — to handle
  20. field — for sport
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. deal — an agreement

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