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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kid — to tease
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bound — tied together
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bound — certain
  16. kid — child
  17. cue — a signal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cue — for pool

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