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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chair — a leader
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — a country
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. last — finally
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. mug — a face
  22. last — final
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — to go on

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