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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fall — the season
  14. rest — a break
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — letters
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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