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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. face — to confront
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kid — to tease
  11. face — to point toward
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. object — a thing
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — child
  22. object — to protest
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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