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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 120 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mug — a face
  7. net — for catching
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — child
  10. net — in sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hand — help
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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