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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. root — the cause
  11. bore — to tire
  12. march — the month
  13. root — of a word
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bore — to drill
  19. shower — rain
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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