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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — the underground
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. drill — the tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — to come down
  9. face — to point toward
  10. land — ground
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — a container
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. temple — side of the head

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