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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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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: last · ball · mine · nail · saw · spell · fork · mug

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mug — to rob
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — finally
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spell — a short time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ball — a dance

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