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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 120 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a music group
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a ring
  18. bass — low music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a rubber band

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