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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — finally
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. capital — a city
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. capital — money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bat — the animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — happening now
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — final
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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