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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — a safe
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. plane — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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