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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hand — help
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — to drill
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — a song
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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