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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — crushed
  4. last — to go on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — finally
  7. shower — rain
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — the earth
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — a position
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — ground
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — a country
  24. shower — to wash

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