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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 116 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — the animal
  24. firm — a company

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