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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. band — a music group
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to click
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kick — in football
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your 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