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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. drill — army training

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