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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — clever
  5. object — an aim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. board — to get on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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