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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kid — child
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. land — ground
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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