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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. snap — to click
  9. fork — in a road
  10. net — in sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. net — after costs
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. track — a path
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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