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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — to tease
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — crushed
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. can — to be able to
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — child

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