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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. craft — boats
  7. bound — tied together
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pit — a hole
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — child
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. kid — to tease
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bat — the animal

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