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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. band — a music group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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