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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — a gift
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — the amount
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. content — happy
  17. wound — an injury
  18. deal — to handle
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — a safe
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — to spend 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