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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — child
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. swing — in golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — to keep secret

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