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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kid — to tease
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — final
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — a country
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — ground
  20. vault — a safe
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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