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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. net — after costs
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — a practice
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — for catching
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — in cards

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