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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — a position
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — a tin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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