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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a document
  5. game — a match
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — the amount
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — in football
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — happy
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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