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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — wild animals
  3. track — a path
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. game — a match
  17. squash — to crush
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. track — to keep track
  20. band — a music group
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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