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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ground — the earth
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — tied together

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