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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — army training

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