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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. court — of a king
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — a series
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a line
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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