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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — a city
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rock — a stone
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — army training
  13. rock — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. track — a path
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. capital — money
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. leaves — of a tree

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