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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cap — a lid
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cap — a hat
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mark — to pay attention

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