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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lie — to recline
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — final
  23. net — after costs
  24. mug — a face

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