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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spell — letters
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. kid — child
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — a short 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