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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — of water
  7. plane — a tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — the season
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — a grade
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. game — wild animals

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