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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — a thing
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — for golf
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for dancing
  14. last — final
  15. club — a group
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. toast — bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fine — all right
  22. object — an aim
  23. last — finally
  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