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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rule — government
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — a safe
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — a sick person

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