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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. game — a match
  3. firm — steady
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spring — of water
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — there
  15. game — wild animals
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spring — the season
  21. firm — decided
  22. present — a gift
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. firm — a company

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