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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — help
  10. roll — a list
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rush — hurry
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — in cards
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — a break
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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