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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — child
  5. rush — hurry
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — a gift
  16. bore — to tire
  17. present — there
  18. bore — to drill
  19. deal — to handle
  20. present — the time now
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. staff — a stick

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