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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — of water
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. track — a song
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — help
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spring — the season
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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