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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. firm — a company
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — to rip

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