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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — hurry
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. capital — a city
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ball — a great time

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