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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. kid — child
  3. pound — a weight
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a music group
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a ring

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