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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. vault — a safe
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — final
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — for sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — hurry

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