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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pound — a weight
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. jam — a tight spot

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