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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: pop · nail · fork · ground · cold · jam · saw · face

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fork — in a road
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. face — to confront
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. face — to point toward
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — a position
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ground — crushed
  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