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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 124 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — a hat
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cap — a lid
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — of ice
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — a country
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. land — to come down

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