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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mug — a cup
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fall — the season
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a ring

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