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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 124 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. land — a country
  3. drill — army training
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mate — a friend
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — a division
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — to breed
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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