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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. land — ground
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rock — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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