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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hand — help
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — army training
  5. suit — to fit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. board — a committee
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — in cards
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. suit — clothes
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. drill — a practice
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. last — to go on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. last — finally
  24. hand — part of the body

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