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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — of a king
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of law
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — to drill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — for sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. row — a line

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