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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — steady
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — in football
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — decided
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — a company
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — on a finger

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