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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — in control
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spring — the season
  8. kid — child
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — the tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. band — a ring
  18. vault — a safe
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — a practice
  24. foot — a measure

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