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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a document
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a tool

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