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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — final
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — hasty
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rash — a series
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. last — finally
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mouse — for a computer

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