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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — final
  5. bat — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bear — the animal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — for digging
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — for baseball

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