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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — a match
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a document
  13. swing — in golf
  14. last — finally
  15. file — a line of people
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. last — final

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