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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rule — a law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bore — to drill
  7. firm — steady
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — government
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bat — the animal

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