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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wake — a trail
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ground — the earth
  12. march — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — crushed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — a position
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — all right
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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