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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to sink
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. charge — a price
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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