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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a match
  15. hand — help
  16. snap — to click
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — wild animals
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — to grow
  24. nail — on a finger

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