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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — a container
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rash — hasty
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tube — the underground

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