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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — to tease
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — size or range
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — in music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ball — a dance
  19. kid — child
  20. file — a document
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. date — the fruit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. date — on the calendar

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