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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. craft — boats
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kid — child
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — to tease
  9. board — to get on
  10. content — happy
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. content — the amount
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pop — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. board — a committee
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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