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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — the tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. press — to push
  13. march — the month
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lean — to bend
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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