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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — help
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. tear — from crying
  12. press — to push
  13. tear — to rip
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. deal — a big deal

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