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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rule — a law
  5. drill — the tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. drill — army training
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. club — a group
  18. vault — a safe
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — government
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. nail — for a hammer

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