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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — not warm
  19. last — final
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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