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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a grade
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — final
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — high quality
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — bread
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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