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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — the amount

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