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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. present — a gift
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wound — an injury
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. present — the time now
  11. season — of the year
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ground — a position
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — in sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — a break
  22. present — there
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ground — crushed

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