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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. row — to paddle
  12. capital — money
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — a city
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a horse colour

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