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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. track — a song
  5. sharp — clever
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chip — for betting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — the season
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — a path
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — to eat
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — to keep track
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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