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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. game — a match
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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