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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. deal — to handle
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — to come down
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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