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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 124 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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. toast — bread
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — a committee
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. board — to get on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kid — child
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. trunk — of a car

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