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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — thin
  11. shower — rain
  12. firm — decided
  13. shower — to wash
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lean — to bend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — for a hammer

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