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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. lean — to bend
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — a contest
  14. lean — thin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. race — humankind
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — a gift
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. capital — a city

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