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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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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: straw · land · chair · squash · vault · mine · nail · dip

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to sink
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — a country
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chair — a leader
  22. land — ground
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — to come down

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