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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — a law

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