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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mate — a partner
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — for catching
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — a cake
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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