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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — army training
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. vault — a safe

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