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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · last · wind · ball · pitcher · rash · chip · bark

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — hasty
  24. last — final

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