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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — final
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rule — government
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rule — a law
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — to go on
  24. fan — a supporter

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