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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — to rob
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — of the year
  18. cue — for pool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mug — a face
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a line of people
  24. sharp — clever

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