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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — the earth
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ground — a position
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. deal — to handle
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — to bend
  24. row — a line

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