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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rash — hasty
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hand — help
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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