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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — of the year
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mug — a face
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. staff — employees
  10. present — there
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — a stick
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. mug — to rob
  19. staff — employees
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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