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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kick — in football
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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