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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — to go on
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — a practice
  14. vault — a safe
  15. last — finally
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. drill — the tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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