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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. vault — a safe
  4. kid — to tease
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — a trace
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a grade
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. kid — child
  14. hand — help
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. key — the most important part
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. toast — bread
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. hand — part of the body

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