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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: nail · sharp · tear · mark · fan · game · vault · squash

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — to crush
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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