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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — the tool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rock — music
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. last — final
  11. drill — army training
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — help
  14. object — to protest
  15. drill — a practice
  16. object — a thing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — an aim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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