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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. net — for catching
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. net — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lean — thin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — bread
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a great time
  18. net — after costs
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — to handle
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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