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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. band — a ring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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