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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fine — all right
  19. drill — army training
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kid — child

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