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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — a country
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tear — to rip
  14. club — for golf
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — a group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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