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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — low music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cue — a signal
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. march — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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