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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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — child
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. face — to confront
  6. roll — a list
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rock — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — a cake
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — to keep secret

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