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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — a series
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — certain
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. hand — help
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pound — a weight
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. snap — to click

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