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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. last — finally
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — in a race
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. last — final

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