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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hand — help
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. snap — to click
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — a signal
  20. roll — a list
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fork — to eat with
  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