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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — a company
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rush — hurry
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. firm — decided
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. snap — to click
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. vault — a safe
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — in football

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