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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — army training
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bank — of a river

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