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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: game · fall · arm · plane · sharp · vault · drill · snap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. sharp — clever
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fall — the season
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. arm — part of the body

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