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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — rain
  4. charge — in control
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mate — a friend
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fine — high quality
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — army training
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — a price

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