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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — the cause
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. root — of a word
  18. fall — the season
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rush — hurry
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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