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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — ground
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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