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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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Word bank
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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: nail · bat · mine · rush · vault · mark · spell · lie

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — to recline
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — a grade
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — the animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — magic
  24. mine — for digging

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