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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — to confront
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — to tease
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. drill — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — a practice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — to point toward

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