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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ground — a position
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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