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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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Word bank
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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spell — a short time
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. drill — army training
  17. spell — letters
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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