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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: racket · vault · nail · stand · mug · cell · kid · saw

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — to bear
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cell — in biology
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — child
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mug — a cup
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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