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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to confront
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a song
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. track — to keep track

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