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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. content — the amount
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. content — happy
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. file — a line of people
  8. craft — boats
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — in cards
  11. craft — a skill
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a document
  15. kid — child
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rush — hurry
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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