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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — magic
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — finally
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — final
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — letters
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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