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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. sharp — clever
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pound — a weight
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. vault — a safe
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — child
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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