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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bound — certain
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a document

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