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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. net — in sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. net — after costs
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. track — a path
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — to keep track
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. sharp — clever
  24. net — for catching

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