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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — in football
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. key — for a lock
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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