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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. march — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chair — a leader
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. march — the month
  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