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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 112 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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — army training
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. game — a match
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. shower — to wash
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. vault — a safe
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — to rob

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