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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: deal · hide · vault · last · content · sharp · arm · wave

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — a safe
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. last — to go on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. deal — to handle
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. last — finally
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — the amount
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. last — final

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