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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — clever
  8. root — the cause
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kid — to tease
  15. root — of a word
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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