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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bat — the animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — a partner
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lean — thin
  19. board — a committee
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. lean — to bend

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