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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — to cut
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — for paper
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — army training
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — child
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — to tease
  20. clip — a video
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — a practice
  23. dip — to sink
  24. nail — for a hammer

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