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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — a safe
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — help
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. spell — magic
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cell — a phone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cell — in biology

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