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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. charge — in control
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — for digging
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — to turn a key

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