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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stand — to bear
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. can — a tin
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rule — government
  24. can — to be able to

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