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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mate — a friend
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — army training
  17. toast — bread
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. tear — to rip
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to confront

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