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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wound — an injury
  8. plane — a tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wound — an injury
  11. sharp — clever
  12. present — a gift
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bank — for money
  15. present — the time now
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bank — of a river
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. present — there
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. racket — for tennis

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