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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 124 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. band — a music group
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. firm — steady
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. toast — bread
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ground — a position
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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