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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — help
  6. shower — rain
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — a committee
  9. object — an aim
  10. board — to get on
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. shower — to wash
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pound — a weight
  21. object — to protest
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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