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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a great time
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — in music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — help

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