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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hand — help

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