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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 116 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. club — for golf
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — for dancing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — in a road
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. club — a group
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. kid — child
  24. fork — to eat with

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