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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — hasty
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — letters
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. nail — for a hammer

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