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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — a law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — government
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — after costs
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pop — soda
  24. rule — to rule out

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