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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bound — certain
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. file — a document
  17. shower — to wash
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — obliged
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — rain
  24. ball — a great time

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