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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. land — a country
  4. cue — for pool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — to come down
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — ground
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a great time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — a signal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pass — a permit
  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