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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. firm — a company
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. roll — a list
  7. charge — in control
  8. kid — child
  9. mate — to breed
  10. firm — steady
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a partner
  14. firm — decided
  15. spring — the season
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — a price
  19. spring — a coil
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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