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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — a series
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — a path
  18. pound — a weight
  19. hand — help
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. track — a song
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — on the skin

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