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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — the earth
  8. swing — music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tube — a container
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cold — an illness
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — the underground
  19. snap — to click
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ground — a position
  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