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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pit — in a race
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — in music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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