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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cold — not warm
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. dip — to sink
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kick — in football
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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