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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. swing — to play on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. drill — a practice
  7. swing — music
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fine — all right
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a city
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — army training
  24. fine — a penalty

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