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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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Word bank
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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cue — for pool
  3. object — a thing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — child
  8. file — a line of people
  9. object — an aim
  10. file — a document
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a hint
  20. object — to protest
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cue — a signal
  23. file — a tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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