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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. swing — to play on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — army training
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. last — final
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — finally

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