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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — child
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. suit — clothes
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — in cards
  13. file — a tool
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — to sink
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. suit — to fit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. present — there

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