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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — a line
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — to paddle
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — for digging

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