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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — the arms race
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — humankind
  22. staff — a stick
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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