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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rock — a stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. land — to come down
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — a country

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