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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — for catching
  6. last — final
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. net — in sport
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. last — finally
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — to get on
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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