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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spell — a short time
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — the season
  8. drill — army training
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — letters
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pit — a hole
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — a coil
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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