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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · deal · game · vault · tube · can · rest · rash

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — a tin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — wild animals
  9. can — to be able to
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — a break
  12. deal — to handle
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — child
  24. can — a tin

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