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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pop — soda
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bear — the animal

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