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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — tied together
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rest — a break
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — obliged
  15. face — part of the head
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to point toward
  24. march — the month

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