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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · fall · saw · swing · chip · nail · cabinet · last

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — finally
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. last — final
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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