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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — rain
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a match
  17. march — the month
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. march — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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