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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — decided
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. mark — a grade
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — magic
  19. firm — steady
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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