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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — a gift
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — a safe
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pass — a permit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. present — the time now
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. present — there
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. nail — on a finger

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