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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — in cards
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lean — to bend
  16. row — to paddle
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hand — help
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — thin
  24. kid — child

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