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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — there
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. present — the time now
  9. chip — to eat
  10. file — a document
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. present — a gift
  17. deal — to handle
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. chip — for betting
  24. deal — an agreement

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