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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — army training
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lean — to bend
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — temperature
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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