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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — army training
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. kid — to tease
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — child
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. snap — to click
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. nail — for a hammer

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