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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. vault — a safe
  3. drill — army training
  4. dip — to sink
  5. capital — money
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — a city
  8. rush — hurry
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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