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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — soda
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pop — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bulb — for light

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