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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 120 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: ground · nail · mine · present · swing · bat · suit · saw

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. suit — clothes
  9. swing — to play on
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. present — there
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — crushed
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — a gift
  19. swing — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. nail — for a hammer

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