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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. spring — of water
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a music group
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spring — a coil
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. degree — from a university
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spring — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a ring

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