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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: can · vault · deal · hand · mug · saw · cap · field

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — for sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mug — a face
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — a subject
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hand — in cards
  23. can — a tin
  24. hand — help

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