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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. field — a subject
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — to go on
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. last — finally
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rash — a series
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. deal — to handle
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — final
  24. hand — in cards

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