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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. march — music
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rush — hurry
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. drill — army training
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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