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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. track — a path
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fall — the season
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rule — a law
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rock — a stone
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — government
  23. track — to keep track
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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