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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. spring — of water
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. last — finally
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. vault — a safe
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. last — to go on
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — a stick

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