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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. shower — to wash
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — tied together
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mine — for digging
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chip — to eat
  24. nail — for a hammer

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