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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tear — to rip
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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