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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. net — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kid — child
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. dip — to sink
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — to tease
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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