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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — money
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — in traffic

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