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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — for betting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — a stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rock — to move gently

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