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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — army training
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. drill — a practice
  10. last — final
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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