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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bound — tied together
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mate — a friend
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — certain
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. foot — the bottom
  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