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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — final
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — a practice
  6. face — to confront
  7. drill — the tool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — to go on

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