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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — a box
  5. firm — decided
  6. bound — certain
  7. dip — to sink
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — steady
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. firm — a company
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. perch — the fish
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — tied together
  24. file — a tool

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