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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fall — the season
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. drill — the tool

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