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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — happy
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — a hole
  6. swing — to play on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — a practice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — finally
  15. club — for golf
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. swing — music
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. last — final

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