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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rush — hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — clever
  17. season — in sport
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — of the year
  24. rush — a thrill

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