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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — child
  3. ground — the earth
  4. deal — to handle
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ground — crushed
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — help
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fork — in a road
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fork — to eat with

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