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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. object — a thing
  3. stand — to bear
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — final
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. object — to protest
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. last — to go on
  19. object — an aim
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — of water

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