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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. present — the time now
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hand — help
  19. shower — to wash
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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