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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ground — the earth
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — the time now
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. object — a thing
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. band — a ring
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. present — there

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