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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pass — a permit
  5. drill — the tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. vault — a safe
  10. capital — a city
  11. last — final
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — money
  15. last — finally
  16. land — ground
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — to come down
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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