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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · mouse · nail · ball · last · mark · stick · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ball — a great time
  3. last — final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — a line
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kid — child
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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