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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — to recline
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tear — from crying

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