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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. object — a thing
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — child
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. field — farmland
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. object — to protest
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. object — an aim
  24. chair — to sit on

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