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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — to shout
  12. drill — the tool
  13. kid — to tease
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. track — a song
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — child
  24. track — to keep track

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