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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — a box
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kick — in football

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