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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rash — hasty
  3. game — wild animals
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chest — a box
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — a series
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — of water
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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