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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — for catching
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — child
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. arm — part of the body

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