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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hand — help
  7. face — to confront
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — part of the head
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fall — to drop
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — to handle
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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