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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cell — a phone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. perch — the fish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — the fruit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to sink
  24. squash — the sport

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