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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — decided
  7. bat — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — a company
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a song
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. firm — steady
  17. last — finally
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — a path

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