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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chest — a box
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to drill
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. last — to go on
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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