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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — a safe
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. key — for a lock
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — the vegetable

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