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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — a safe
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. plane — a tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. drill — army training
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. snap — to click
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. march — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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