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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — the amount
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — happy
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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