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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. firm — steady
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — electric
  6. firm — a company
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. current — of water
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. firm — decided
  17. bore — to tire
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. bore — to drill

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