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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kid — child
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — in cards
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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