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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. kid — child
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pass — a permit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — a phone

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